Indian Navy inducts 2nd ocean going sailboat INSV Tarini

The Indian Navy inducted its second ocean-going sailboat INSV Tarini at a ceremony in Goa on Saturday. The vessel is slated to be the platform for the first Indian all-women global circumnavigation by the Indian Navy to begin in August.

The induction ceremony, at INS Mandovi Boat Pool, took place in the presence of Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba along with other senior naval officers.

The boat is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi and crew members include Lieutenant Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lieutenant Aishwarya Boddapati, Lieutenant Patarapalli Swathi, Lieutenant Vijaya Devi and Lieutenant Payal Gupta.

In order to promote ocean sailing activities and encourage women empowerment, the Indian Navy conceptualised the idea.

These officers have done basic sail training courses at INWTC Mumbai followed by Navigation, Seamanship, Communication and Meteorology courses at various naval training schools at Kochi.

After completion of theoretical courses, the officers sailed INSV Mhadei to Vizag for the International Fleet Review 2016 and thereafter to Mauritius and back. Following that, they sailed the boat on a gruelling voyage to Cape Town in December last year.

The boat has been built to a stock design by Van de Stadt, Netherlands, called Tonga 56. The hull is made of wooden core fibreglass sandwich construction for a better performance than aluminium and steel.

INSV Tarini carries a suite of six sails including the Main sail, Headsails (Genoa and stay sails), Downwind sails and Storm sail. Its mast is 25 metres tall and has been custom built for sailing in extreme conditions.

It boasts a Raymarine navigation suite and an array of latest satellite communication systems through which she can be contacted anywhere in the world.

The trials of the newly built INSV Tarini were successfully completed on January 30 and all the learning experience from INSV Mhadei has been incorporated in this vessel right from the start.

The keel of the vessel was laid by the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in March last year at the Aquarius Shipyard.